


Within the Family is New Beginnings

by GallifreyGod



Series: Within [4]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Babies, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Happy Ending, Light Angst, Miscarriage mention, Romance, author is a literal cornball, this is so cheesy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-11-13 22:43:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18040490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GallifreyGod/pseuds/GallifreyGod
Summary: Two years later, Joyce contemplates what she would do if she could change what happened... or if she would do it all over again.The fourth and final installation to 'Within'





	Within the Family is New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> "I write too many jopper-baby fics' i say as I finish another one. *eye roll emoji*
> 
> Anyways. Here it is, the fourth and final part of Within. This was inspired by the song 'A Million Dreams' on the Greatest Showman soundtrack.

**Epilogue**

** 2 Years Later **

She stared at that nursery mobile, lost in a blank and empty thought.

She and Hopper were picking up Jane from a weekend stay at Becky's house. They made a deal that every other weekend, Jane would visit Becky and Terry while spending the rest of her time with Hop and Joyce. That was fine, the poor girl had been through enough so she ought to know her blood-related family. The teen had been so excited to show Joyce which room would be hers, she pulled her step-mother by the sleeve and up the stairs.

Joyce had seen the room before. Will had been missing for days, her clothes hadn't been changed, and she hadn't slept a wink. They had been grasping at last straws when she and Hop drove out to talk to Becky. That was when Joyce had first laid eyes on the crib in Jane's 'would've been' nursery. She was surprised to see it was still there almost four years later. Four years that had been filled with terror, excitement, and more truth than they could've ever expected.

Jane had been talking up a storm about where her bed would be and where her dresser would go. Joyce wasn't listening, she didn't mean to ignore her... she just stared at the little mobile with the clowns dangling on it.

She had her kids already. She also got one more amazing daughter which she didn't bargain for. She was getting older, she smoked too much and was stressed too much. She didn't want a baby... or at least she didn't think she wanted one. But she had been putting more thought into what it would be like with just _one_ more. One more chance to do it right.

She was happy and content with her life. Three amazing kids, a wonderful fiancé. She kept feeding herself reasons why she shouldn't want to have a baby. They didn't have enough room, time, money, or energy. But still, every time she saw those pacifiers in aisle 8 of Melvald's, she felt a pang in her heart. It seemed like every time she saw something related to the topic of a baby, she felt that small heartache.

Once upon a time, she was terrified to have another baby. Will was only a few years old when that positive pregnancy test was snug between her shaking fingers. She was horrified and not all that excited either. She soon came to regret that lack of excitement when her doctor told her that the pregnancy didn't stick and her body would soon miscarry.

She never quite healed from that; completely convinced that she'd never want to get pregnant again because she wouldn't be able to handle that pain twice. Joyce knew that a part of her would never be able to move on from that loss either. A little piece of her soul didn't come home with her after that doctor's appointment.

So, why did she want a baby now? Did the thought of going through that pain again suddenly become bearable? No, not really. But this time, the thought of having Hopper with her made it feel like it was worth a shot.

She doubted that Hopper would even want to have a baby. She could only imagine that he'd probably shut down that idea from the get-go. The pain from losing Sara was most likely enough to turn him away from the discussion of having a baby. Having Jane was different. She practically fell into Hopper's lap. He didn't have to worry all through her childhood that one day she'd fall ill and never recover. On top of that, he was finally just getting to _really_ know his biological son. Would he want to do that all over again?

Hopper had changed in their four years on this wild journey. He was no longer recognized as flaky hookup from the shadows of the Hideaway bar. Now he was a family man, three kids, a soon to be wife, and a steady but boring job. Still, some part of Joyce feared that he may think she was trying to 'trap' him by having another baby... even though they were already on their way to being married.

But something about it seemed... alluring? The chance, _their last chance_ , to finally do it right. He wasn't able to watch Jonathan grow up as he should've, and she'd feel regretful about that until the day she died. But how could she turn away an opportunity to heal some of the wounds she created?

"Mom, are you alright?" Jane asked quietly, seeing as Joyce's mind was clearly on another planet. That happened a lot lately, but nobody really spoke up about watching it happen. It ended when someone made the move to interrupt her thoughts, but it was happening more now than ever.

"Yeah, sweetheart. I'm okay." Joyce gave the girl a sad smile as she gently ran her hand through Jane's unruly curls. "Just thinking about some stuff,"

"It's kinda weird seeing stuff from when I was a baby," Jane replied, staring down into the crib. "I'm glad I didn't live here as a baby."

Joyce's eyes went wide at that comment. "Why?" she asked, confused about the teen's logic. Everybody expected her to go through a phase fueled with anger over the loss of her childhood and her true family, but it wasn't nearly as intense as they thought it would be. After she was allowed to join the real world, she was the happiest kid in town.

"Well," she started. "I wouldn't have Hopper. I wouldn't have Mike or Will or you or Jonathan either. I'm really angry that Mama got hurt, but I like the life I have now. I wouldn't have any of that if those bad things didn't happen."

Like father, like daughter. Joyce remembered when Hopper said something similar to her.

_"If I had known you were pregnant and that I had a kid on the way, I would've been able to dodge the draft and we probably would've stayed together. You would've never had Will, I would've never had Sara. Who knows where Jane would be in this equation. Shit has been rough as hell but think about everything we wouldn't have if the truth had set us free?"  
_

Joyce had always been the type of person to think of all the _would've's and could've's,_ that was just in her nature. Hopper and Jane weren't like that. They always thought of things in a perspective of what they would've lost if life had been easier on them. It was refreshing in a sense, always seemed to bring Joyce back down to earth.

"I'm glad you like your life with us, sweetheart." Joyce smiled, wrapping Jane up into a much-needed hug. 

 

* * *

 

Once they were back at home, Hopper put the car in park and turned it off. "Hey, Kid. Can you go clean up for dinner? I wanna talk to Joyce for a minute."

Jane nodded silently, running out of the car and into the house to greet her brothers. Joyce had stayed quiet for the entire ride home. As far as he could tell, it wasn't a stretch of silence fueled by anger. She was just... quiet. Deep in the lost thoughts that seemed to consume her more and more lately.

"What's going on, Joyce?" he asked, looking over at her with his bright blue eyes. He had a look of softness on his face; one that was rare unless he was talking about his family. Joyce liked that expression of his the most, simply because it made her feel safe. Hopper could be a cold and callous man, but when he had that look on his face... It just meant to her that everything would be okay.

She gulped, trying to think of the right words to say. If she had it her way, she wouldn't say anything. But Hopper was closing in on her, she couldn't ward off the questions much longer. "I just have a lot on my mind, Hop." was the best answer she could come up with. At least it was an answer that would grant her a few more seconds to come up with a reasonable response. 

"Well, I kinda figured that." he chuckled quietly. "That's what I'm asking. What is it that's weighing so heavy on your mind that you keep running off into daydreams?"

Suddenly, Joyce was fighting off the unanticipated urge to cry. With a wave of emotions flooding in, she couldn't help but retaliate in fear. It reminded her of all the times Lonnie would scream at her when she cried. Hopper didn't like seeing her sad, but Lonnie would just get annoyed by it. She tried to remind herself that Jim was her loving and caring fiance, not her son of a bitch ex-husband. He _wanted_ to know what was bothering her. He _wanted_ to wipe her tears, not yell at her for spilling them. 

Her breath was shaky when she started to speak. _"I...I just,"_ The words weren't there yet. They were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't think of the right way to articulate them without sounding overly emotional or crazy. 

"I've had this thought in my head for a couple weeks." she started again, regaining her composure. "Y'know, what would I do differently if I could do it all over again. There are so many things I would change, but at the same time I wouldn't want to change anything at all." 

"Is that what's bothering you?" Hopper asked, staring into her wide doe-eyes that were sparkling with unshed tears. 

"I don't know." she glanced down at her lap, her hands idly fidgeting. "I mean, what if we were given a proper chance to... raise a family."

"We _are_ raising a family." he smiled, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear as she avoided his gaze. 

"I know. I love our family, I love everything about it. But if you had a chance to do it one more time, _the right way_ , would you? I mean, us, _together_ , raising a child that we had... _together_...would you?" 

"What are you trying to say, Joyce?" he tilted his head in confusion, the small smile still staying pasted to his expression. 

She paused once again, biting her lower lip sharp enough that it could leave a mark. Finally, like a gush of confidence rushed through her veins, she said what she had wanted to say for weeks. 

"I—I think we should have a baby." 

 

* * *

 

 

Every decision she had made after that day had led her to the life she once dreamed of. To the life she never thought she'd be able to have. It wasn't without its ups and downs, but that was what made their shared life beautiful. They rode those ups and downs together, taking each bump in the road as they came.

There was a realization that came to the light; she finally had a family. Of course, she always had her boys, but this wasn't a family of broken branches anymore. She had a backbone, a support system, the core that kept her balanced and on her feet. Roots firmly planted into the soil. Once upon a time, it would've been easy for her to fall and never be able to stand back up again. The family she had now wouldn't ever allow that to happen. They had each other, and none of them ever faced a battle on their own. Two broken halves came together and finally made a whole. 

With time, Jonathan forgave his parents and little by little, he let Hopper into his life. The real moment of truth had been when Jonathan accidentally called him 'Dad' at the dinner table one night. The sudden tears streaming down her face showed no mercy to Joyce and her emotions that night. 

To Joyce's surprise, Hopper admitted to her that he wanted them to have a 4th child just as much as she did. It took them a little longer than they would've thought, but it was only a short time after their wedding and honeymoon when Joyce came to him, clutching a positive pregnancy test in her hand. That was when the tears _really_ showed her and her emotions no mercy.  

Nine months later, the Hopper-Byers family welcomed their newest addition. Jenna Grace Hopper, who was perfect down to every last detail. In many ways, she provided closure for the time lost between Hopper and Jonathan. The kids loved her, her family loved her, and everybody who crossed her path just loved her. She provided joy in situations where happiness seemed far fetched. 

When Joyce looked at how she grew her family in hindsight, it seemed almost crazy. There was Jonathan, who knew nothing about his real father until he was almost an adult. There was Will, who knew his real father but wasn't raised by him. There was Jane, who was adopted by Hopper first, then Joyce later. Then there was Jenna, who was raised by her real parents, _together_. Their family was unique in its own way. It didn't feel as broken as people would've expected it to given how it all came together. No, it was perfect. 

It was everything they could've ever dreamt of. 


End file.
